Prodigy
by 321bookreader
Summary: What would life have been like for Hiccup Haddock if he had been born as a prodigy in every sense of the word. What if the mistreatment done by his village and father was not pushed aside. This is the story of a strong and extremely smart Hiccup, who is willing to explore things unseen.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Authors Note: ****This story is based off the idea of what would have happened if Hiccup had been a true Prodigy, and if the isolation and mistreatment from his father and village had caused a different Hiccup to be formed. Please review and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks.**

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"From the time he could crawl he's been…different."

Viking children were all built the same. They are all round and healthy due to the hardy ways Vikings eat. They come into the world kicking and screaming as though they are ready to take on the dragons from the moment they breathe air. Their families yell with pride when their small Vikings grip the ceremonial baby weapons. From small axes to maces, these weapons show the strength they will one day possess. Yet one did not due this. When he came into the world, he gazed around in wonder yet did not cry. When his father held the miniature ax, that was an exact replica of the one he carried on his hip but was the size of a small pencil, his son reached past the ax to grip his father's finger. While his mother smiled a soft smile, his father scowled as this was not the Viking way. He had come into the world to early, and it was not only this that made him an unusual Viking child.

The elder believed him not be breathing, until she stared into his bright green eyes. He gazed back with an unfathomable amount of clarity. She had never seen a babe, look at her and seem to acknowledge her presence. Though he was small and sickly, he fought like the devil to survive past what any believed he would. The elder had given him very few weeks to live, part because of the unusualness of his gaze. No child she had helped birth had ever looked her directly in the eye as though to say hello. As she watched the new mother hold her child, she watched as he looked around himself as though to memorize the very air he breathed. She would never forget that moment, because, though she did not know it then, it was the moment she met the child that would change their world.

Though the child was still small, he showed growth in ways other children would not show for many months. From the moment he began to crawl he explored the world in which he lived. The toys his mother had provided were full of puzzles that he solved within minutes. While children his age were learning to move and not hurt themselves, he was learning to speak and use his surroundings to help him. He spent most of his young years, listening to his mother speak of the majestic beasts that spewed fire. While he never picked up the ax created by his father, he did pick up a pencil. When his father found out about this his disapproval was evident for all to see, especially for the small boy left holding the broken pieces of his treasured pencils. It was during this time that he realized that his size could be used to his advantage as he found small places to explore, and later hide, from his parents.

The death of the mother of this child brought great sorrow of the household and was the catalyst of the distance that would grow between a father and son. It was this curiosity that he shared with his mother and his inability to act like a true strong Viking, that would cause his father to resent his presence. It was too much of a reminder of the woman that he loved. Yet his child suffered from his inability to see past the eyes and intelligence he inherited from his mother. The father spent so much time avoiding his son or disapproving of his manner, that he never realized what he truly endured or the fact that his son was someone truly special. He was a prodigy of the highest degree, a child who saw the world past the borders of his home. His name was Hiccup Haddock the Third and this is his story.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Here is the the first chapter. I have fixed the formatting on the Prologue so it should be easier to read now. **

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Dreamworks, except Asger.**

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"What are you doing here?

"Get inside!"

He dodged the mass of men and woman who ran by him. Many yelled insults about his inability to do anything right or commands for him to return inside, though these were not said for his safety but rather what they believed to be theirs. He spoke not a word to them, he did not speak much to anyone anymore. Not since the day he realized that no one was listening. The flames of the torches and buildings surrounded him and yet still he ran down the hill towards the one place he knew he was somewhat valued. He had begun working in the forge the moment he began walking, which was sooner than all of the children on Berk. His father could not seem to get rid of him soon enough. The moment he was stable, which was around his 6supth/supwinter, he handed him over to his best friend Gobber and told him to do as he pleased, but just to keep him busy. So, he sent his only child into a place filled with fire and sharp objects to keep him from underfoot.

Hiccup laughed bitterly to himself as he remembered the first time he had badly cut himself, a few days after he began work at the forge.

As he cried and asked for his "Dad" to come and help him, his arm continued to bleed. He had tripped and fell on a sword meant to be sharpened. Gobber scooped him into his arms and quickly rushed him to the Elder, who sewed him up, though it left a large scar that raced up his forearm and stopped just short of his elbow. He did not return home for two days, because of the amount of blood he had lost, and in those days his father checked on him once with a simple nod in his direction as he instructed Gobber on the next dragon raid. That was the day he truly felt that his father no longer cared for him. It was during this trip that he also met one of his greatest allies in Berk.

The elder Gothi had been watching the small child that she had helped birth, from afar for all his years. She had watched as his father turned from him and abandoned him to a man with no experience with children. She watched as his peers isolated him, and she treated him for the minor injuries he received from the children "playing." She had waited for the moment that he would really need her, and that day came much too early. While Stoick and Gobber talked of dragon raids, she sat beside the boy much too small for his age. He looked at her with those eyes of emerald green, and she saw the pain but the intelligence far beyond his years was still most prominent. So, she did something that would change his life and hers. She handed him a note with the message to come back every day when the sun rises, and she would share knowledge that very few knew. She would be his teacher and he her student.

Ten years have passed since that day and much has changed within the young Hiccup. For the first two years his early mornings were spent with Gothi learning the art of Medicine. He learned everything she could teach on this subject and even helped create new potions and methods of healing, though none would know of this for a long time as none would trust an 8-year-old boy especially if it was Hiccup.

It was during these two years that the bullying from his peers increased to the point that he was afraid to leave his house. The one time that he finally fought back and punched Snotlout in the nose, his father happened to be passing by and snatched up his son and dragged him home. That night his father yelled at him for hours about the rift he was trying to create between his cousins' families and theirs. When he went to bed that night, it was the last night he cried for a very long time. It was that night that he learned that he was never to fight back, unless no one knew it was him.

He returned to Gothi the next morning with bruised wrists and red eyes. It was this morning that Gothi decided he needed another teacher in the art of physical intelligence. She called to her a man that many avoided out of fear. His name was Asger the silent. He spoke not a word since the day his wife and child were killed in the war against the Berserkers. Yet, he was known to be outside of Gothi's hut during dragon raids in order to protect her home. No one understood the connection they shared but, he was always there watching over her. He agreed to train Hiccup in secret in the night. For 8 years he trained. For the first 4 years he taught him strength, stability, and endurance. They would run laps around a small pond found in a grove until he would collapse in exhaustion. They would do pushups and sit-ups until his body burned. But Hiccup persisted. He learned to center himself and no longer allow his emotions to be seen or control him. After the years of working not only with Asger, but also within the forge, he began to gain muscles unlike those seen in his village. His body was now built for speed and endurance instead of raw strength. Yet he wore clothes to hide this new development in fear of being forced to become someone he was not.

When he reached the age of 12 Asger decided he had finally grown enough to begin training with a weapon. It would take many months before they finally found something that fit Hiccup, and it was he who designed it. His weapon was derived from both a spear and a sword, which while he was able to master the ability to use them, never fully fit him. He designed something never seen before, a weapon that was able to become two things. It was made from the strongest and lightest metal that he could find, which he discovered within a cave on the far side of the island. It was about his height and had two blades upon either end and was made to be able to fold into itself. When he folded it aligned in just the right way that it formed something akin to a sword. It would take many years before he would perfect his design, but when he finally did, a few months after his 15 winter, he was able to move with the speed of a speed stinger, and with the grace of a snake. It was while Asger and he battled they he learned the art of observation. While Asger did not speak, he did communicate with Hiccup in ways he did not understand until much later. It was the way he would hold his weapon, the way his body twitched, or the look within his eyes that allowed Hiccup to begin mastering the art of watching his opponent to see his next move.

For 10 years he trained. He spent 10 years learning healing, language, scholarly books, writing, and the ability to seek knowledge from Gothi. For 10 years he spent time within the forge learning the art of blacksmithing and learning the secrets of the village, as no one seemed to notice the boy in the shadows. Yet he was always there, always watching, and always listening. For 8 years he learned the art of physical training from Asger. He learned to watch his opponents for weakness, how to center his mind, learned how to fight with almost every weapon, and how to really see your surroundings and use them to your advantage.

He may have been just a boy, but he had always been more than he seemed. While under the tutelage of Asger he learned how to fight with every weapon presented to him. Some he would never be a master in, but others his intellect truly shown through. Because while he fought, he was constantly calculating, constantly watching, and constantly moving. Asger described him to Gothi as a snake that could not be tamed, while Gothi said he was like the river, calm on the service but with the ability to strike without warning at a moment's notice.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Authors Note: So in this story I plan to change a few things in order to better fit my plot line. Hiccup's mother died when he was 4, so that he had some time to get to know her. The romance between Hiccup and Astrid (while I love this pairing), may not happen in this story because, a lot of this story is based on the fact that he had very few people who cared about him for a long time. Hiccup will likely be a darker version of the movie Hiccup, because he went through almost 12 years of near constant abuse from all but, two people. I'm glad y'all are liking it so far, and his abilities and talents of a Prodigy are going to become more apparent as this story continues. **

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks**

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"Okay, but I shot a Night Fury."

Hiccup walked through the forge to the small room in the back. It was small enough that Gobber could not enter, though no one ever thought to explore this small area. It was here that he kept his weapons and his designs. He had created designs for everything he saw that he knew could be improved. He had made designs for new buildings, new aqueducts, new weapons, and new ways to provide more provisions for his village. Yet no one would know of these for a long time. He had learned his lesson on trying to share his rare ability to see beyond what is presented. Sometime within his tenth year he took a paper containing a design for a new ax for his father to Gobber. Gobber took a single look at his design and told him that it was not Viking to mess with things that were already fine. If he wanted to be a Viking, he would need to stop doodling and start actually helping. It was this day that any trust left in Gobber was crushed. He had said if, meaning Hiccup was not truly a Viking in his eyes. The list of people he was able to trust had grown even smaller.

A loud crash outside of the building brought a small smile to his face. The dragon raid had begun. It was time to try his latest invention, a small device that would allow him to throw a bola farther than any man. He planned to take it to Gothi's home to help protect her from rouge dragons that come to close to her home. It was his safe guard. During dragon raids he spent most of them waiting on the roof of her home. He watched Asger fight dragons that decided to land and watched as men and woman fought within the town. He watched both man and beast perish. Asger kept him away from the true fighting in fear of the village finding out the true skill hidden within the boy. Asger believed that he did not belong among the dragon killers, and he never would. While Asger spoke no words, Hiccup knew that both he and Gothi were the only ones that cared for him and were the only ones to be trusted.

The battle raged on below him, as he sat upon the platform built on top of Gothi's specifically for Hiccup, though no one else knew. He watched the blood and anger poor from both Viking and Dragon. He watched as so much was destroyed by the unforgiving fires and as some gained new injuries that would need immediate medical treatment. He watched Asger below him fight off a Zippleback that dared climb the high post that her home rested upon. His fingers itched to reach for his beloved weapon that he named **_Njóla _****_Vargr, _** or Night Wolf but, it was stored within his room back at the forge. The daggers he designed were strapped under his clothes on his arms or legs, were a last-minute resort. These daggers brought back memories of anger and pain but, also satisfaction.

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Asger had found him throwing his set of beloved daggers into a tree, while his hands dripped with blood. It was another day filled with lectures from the villagers, disappointment from Gobber, and beating from his peers. This day was different though, in the fact that it was the 10thanniversary of his mother's death. The death of one of the only people who would ever love him, because who could care about a mistake, a non-Viking, someone useless. So, he had taken his daggers, that he had spent hours carving and forging until they shown like no other, and had walked out of the forge in the middle of the day. Gobber yelled curses at his back for leaving him on his own, I guess Hiccup was the only one who remembered what today was. Even his Father yelled at him that morning about getting to the forge, even though it was an hour earlier.

He walked through town, but as soon he hit the forest he began to run. He ran and fell many times, but each time he would brush away the blood building on his hands and knees and continue to run. He finally collapsed in the grove that he trained with Asger in.

He ripped his daggers from his belt and began to hurl them at the closest tree. For hours he threw his daggers, until his arms shook with the effort of movement. His knuckles bled from scraping the tree as he wretched his daggers from the tree. His hands were sliced open from grabbing the sharp edge of the dagger instead of his handles, in his need to keep throwing his daggers. His vision blurred with tears and exhaustion, but he continued to throw.

A twig snapped behind him, and he whipped around and hurled his dagger. Asger simply snatched the dagger from the air, but not without slicing his palm. Asger began to slowly walk towards Hiccup, who yelled at him to leave. Didn't he understand that he wanted to be alone, that he needed this.

Asger continued his slow pace towards Hiccup until he was within arm reach. His arms reached out and grabbed the boy by the shoulders and pulled him forward. Hiccup froze, this was the first hug he had received in ten years, since the day his mother had died. He was not still for long. He screamed, cried, and thrashed in arms as he begged to be let go, to let him be hurt, and to just leave him alone.  
When he finally exhausted himself to the point he could no longer stand, Asger lowered them both to the ground and Hiccup finally looked him in the eyes. In his eyes he saw understanding and pain. Asger understood his pain and shared in his sorrow. They were both beaten warriors, one of the world he suffered through, another of years of war and heart ache.

He grabbed his palm and the blood dripping from there palms mixed. Asger did not use it often, but his hands began to form symbols that Gothi had taught him years ago in case Asger ever wanted to communicate with him. He told him they were brothers of war, and that now nothing could break the bond they shared. He may not have real blood that cared for him, but the blood of war had been forged between them.

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Suddenly the screech of the most feared dragon boomed through the sky, rousing him from his memories. Night Fury. As everyone ducked, Hiccup watched as the stars were blocked out by the beast's shape. He had watched this creature block out the stars for many nights and smirked at the fact that no one but himself would know where this terrifying beast was going. As he watched the beast began to head in the direction of Gothi's home, which was placed on high posts to elevate her above the ground and bring her closer to the spirits of the world. Spirits she believed help heal and hurt, but the respect she holds for them protects her. He had learned of these spirits for many years and for Gothi, the spirits were invisible to the world. But for Hiccup, the way she wrote about them spoke of only one type of creature. Dragons. Beasts that avenge the world for the brutality done by man. Beasts with strength surpassing any man, fire that destroyed something that took months to construct within seconds, and that moved at a speed unknown to man.

He knew he could not let her home or the people he cared about be destroyed. He jumped to his feet and grabbed his bola launcher and rolled it towards the edge of balcony of Gothi's hut. He watched the sky and as the creature came toward her home, he hit the mechanism to release the bola. It shot forward so fast that he lost sight of it within seconds, but he heard the screech of pain as the beast fell towards the forest of Berk. The scream of pain struck him still, as he began to remember a similar sound that had come from another animal, but before he could fall into another memory, something large, muscular, and moving fast struck him in the chest. He felt a few of his ribs cracked under the force of the blow from the tail of the Zippleback that had been fighting Asger. He flew through the air off the roof of Gothi's home. His body rushed towards the ground and he collided with another dragon, and this one was not happy.

The Monstrous Nightmare shook himself after being struck in the head by a flying object, and yet something curious occurred. As Hiccup stared up at the dragon, he saw intelligence in its eyes while it shook itself, but as soon as its head seemed clear, its eyes cleared to what he knew. To the eyes of a killer, who was angry. He had wasted precious seconds he could have used to avoid confrontation, but his mind was made to think and observe, even if it puts him in danger.  
The dragon roared in his face and snapped at him as he tried to regain his feet. He berated himself for being so careless and loosing focus in the middle of a fight. His mind race, and his chest burned from the pain of his ribs either being cracked or broken as he finally took off running. He knew that he could not fight this monster with the small daggers without risking the possibility of getting seriously hurt. The building blurred around him as he continued to race through the village looking for a solution, until he saw the Jorgenson house. The house was on fire and some of the beams were exposed, but it contained a large tree behind the home. He knew that if he could get into this tree, he could use it to quickly move into the surrounding forest, while also hopefully confusing the beast enough to get away. The heads of another Zippleback were buried in the house with its back towards the running pair, and this was how he planned to accomplish his goal. He reached the dragon and began to race across its back, until he reached the junction between their heads. The smoke and embers were burning his eyes and lungs, but he jumped. He grabbed the largest beam that was not on fire and used it to pull himself up. He began to walk across the beam to the back of the house where he could barely make out the branches of the tree through the back window.

Before he could get more than four steps the house shook violently as the Monstrous Nightmare grabbed the Zippleback by its tail and ripped it away to reach its small snack. This caused Hiccup to slip from his post and barely catch it with one hand. The fires roared below him, and his lungs felt like they were being burned alive from both the broken ribs and the smoke that was pouring through the home.

He pulled himself up painstakingly slow as his body ached from the damage done. The beasts roared outside of the house and the scratched and snapped at each other over the right of the Jorgenson house. Blood poured from the back of the Zippleback from the initial strike, but the Monstrous Nightmare was now only able to walk on three of its legs, as the Zippleback had grabbed his leg with its razor-sharp mouths and both pulled, knocking the dragon off its feet. The large gash on its back covered the stones in bright red blood and caused the Zippleback to begin to sway. The bites from this beast upon the Monstrous Nightmare left it limping but, angry.

Timbers began to fall around him, and the post he walked on began to crumble on the opposite end in which he walked. A plank of wood struck him in the shoulder setting his vest on fire leaving burns on the underside of his jaw. He quickly stripped of his vest and through it to the floor below. He finally reached the window and threw himself into the branches of the tree.

As he laid in the bows of the tree, the dragons began to take to the sky as they did every time after a few hours into the raid. He watched as they carried away so much of their food, set a few more buildings on fire, and dripped blood onto the already blood-soaked land. Then he heard a loud angry voice yell

"HICCUP!"

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**Hiccup is 14 years old when Asger finds him in the forest throwing his daggers. He is 16 during this attack. **


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**Authors Note: So some stuff may seem extreme, but I want it to be somewhat realistic. As for the Hiccup and Astrid pairing, I do not see it happening with the way this chapter went. I have an idea for a pairing but, it will come much later. **

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks**

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"It's not your outside that he can't stand, its what's on the inside."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, it was not the first time that he had been yelled at in public. His father's voice was more an annoying pest than anything else. It no longer sent him scrambling to fix whatever it is he did, he no longer cared. But he slowly rolled out of the tree holding his arm to his ribs. As he landed on his feet, he took stock of his injures. Multiple burns, but nothing he hadn't experienced working in the forge, multiple cracked ribs, and a few scraps and cuts. Not bad for a dragon raid.

He made his way back to the center of town, where his Father waiting. Next to him stood his cousin Snotlout and his uncle Spitelout, and they all looked angry.

"It was YOU, who lead that wretched monster into our home! It was you who caused so much of this destruction just because you can't kill a dragon, you puny thoughtless child! You will never be like us!"

This was yelled at him by his uncle, and only a light flinch was felt from Hiccup, but this wasn't the first time he had been yelled at in public. However, the sharp slap that's sound radiated throughout the whole village, he was not prepared for. The pain in his ribs, and the shock of being slapped in front of others by his uncle caused him to hit the ground. The punches, slaps, and kicks given to him by the family were done in private, except of course Snotlout.

He laid there in shock, and his gaze unwillingly went to his Father, yet he simply glared at him. He slowly rose to his feet and began making his way back to his father's home, when he heard his father speak to him,

"It would be better if you didn't come home tonight, Snotlout and Spitelout are going to stay in your room because, of your mistake. " The look of indifference was evident on his face, and it still sent a small bout of pain through his chest. Hiccup said not a word but continued walking but this time in the direction of the forest. He was going to wait for everyone to go to sleep before going back to Gothi's hut. It wasn't the first time he had slept on her floor.

The first time he had slept on her floor, was the first time his Father had slapped him. It was during his 6th summer, he had been drawing on the table of the kitchen when his Father came stomping in the home and slammed the door. He startled and knocked over a bottle of ink he had gotten as s present from Gothi to help him practice his drawing and letters. The ink quickly spread across the table and onto the floor. Before he could stutter out his apology, the solid iron grip of his Father's hand on his arm and he knew it would leave another set of bruises on his bicep. As he stared down at the hand gripping his arm, he tuned out his father's screams as the spittle flew from his mouth onto his face.

SMACK!

Hiccup flew to the floor as his hand flew to his face, and blood dripped from his lips.

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" his father screamed in his face.

"I..I..I.," Hiccup stuttered in shock. Kids his own age constantly tripped him, pushed him, and hit him when he walked by, but an adult had never really hit him until then. His Father's rough fingers grabbed his chin and pulled it close.

"Clean this up, and I don't want to see you in this room again." He hissed in his face, and roughly pushed him away again. Stoick stomped back outside, and Hiccup cried because of his Father for the last time.

That night, he fell from his window, and ran to Gothi's hut. When she answered the door, the pity in her gaze caused him to grow angry. Before he could start yelled, she smacked him gently on the head, and began to scribble on the floor and it said,

"Do not let your anger and pain cloud your judgment. I am not your enemy, and as such do not try to treat me as such. If you lash out at the people you care about, who will be left to stand by you?" He was too young to truly understand her words, but they would live on his memory for another day.

As he lay on the floor that night memories replaced his dreams.

Flashes of fire, a smile of a beautiful woman, the cracking of his broken leg, insults, his father's face sneering at him, and finally the scream of pain that radiated sharply through his mind causing him to awake in a cold sweat. He laid panting and quickly pushed the memory that threatened to break through back into its small box in the back of his mind. The sun was just beginning to rise but, he decided that it was time to go find the thing that he had shot down in the forest.

His ribs were wrapped in white cloth, but it wasn't anything he hadn't received in his training. He quickly climbed down the stairs of Gothi's hut and quickly hid behind the nearest house. Using the shadows created by the rising sun, he sprinted between houses in order to avoid being spotted. He finally reached the edge of the forest and made his way about 20 yards in before he stopped next to a dead hollow tree. His gaze swept the air as he was taught years ago by Asger, a_lways be on guard, especially about the things you care about. _

He grabbed the clothes tucked safely in the tree. He stripped the clothes he wore around the village to disguises his physique. He lost his fur vest in the fire the night before, but his light green tunic and light brown pants, which were barely held together by poor stitching were replaced by smooth dark brown well-made pants made for movement, and a dark green shirt missing the sleeves as it was made for quick movement. They were his training clothes and they were made with the purpose to blend into the forest around him. They were made for quick movements and made to last a long time. His clunky fur boots were placed alongside his clothes and his bare feet embraced the dirt. Asger never liked when he went without shoes, but he felt more connected to the world around him. His senses felt like they were heightened, and he moved with even greater speeds. The earth seemed to almost talk to him, when he embraced the forest.

Within the hollow lay many weapons that Asger used to train him, but none would match his own weapon, but that was in the forge as he constantly tried to improve it. So, he grabbed one of the small swords, that wasn't quite balanced in his hand, but was the closest he would come. He strapped this to his side and quickly began making his way through the thick trees. He knew those woods better than anyone else on the island, from hours of training with Asger. One of his favorite training exercise was sending Hiccup into the forest for days at a time with, in the beginning a weapon, but every time the size of the weapon decreased until he was left with only the clothes on his back. While he left thinner than when he entered depending on how long he was told to stay, he learned more and more about how to survive and about the woods and all that lived there every time he entered.

He walked another 30 yards before he came upon a large tree. It was the largest tree in the forest and he quickly began to climb. He moved through the tree with the grace of someone who had spent years learning the limbs of trees. He reached the top within minutes, with only a light sweat and his breathing only slightly panting due to the speed in which he climbed. He looked out on the tree and finally saw what he was looking for. A large section of the forest canopy was broken.  
He quickly scaled back down the tree and headed West. Asger taught him how to tell both time and direction using the sky. He reached a small clearing and quickly hid behind a large rock. Tangled in ropes was a large, pitch black, sleek, Night Fury. The Unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself. His heart pounded but, this monster had tried to attack one of the two people he cared about. He couldn't let that happen again. He slowly walked towards the dragon laying on its side. His brain began to analyze the dragon. Sleek for speed, short legs for quick movements, large wings for long flights, but also for speed. This dragon was built for fluidity and speed. It was so dark its body seemed to represent the night sky itself.

Hiccup made his way to the front of its body and finally saw the face of the great Night Fury. His eyes were closed until he got to close, and they snapped open. Acid green eyes filled with fear stopped him cold. The memory he had pushed back for so long snapped into his mind.

* * *

In the summer of his 10th year, he had been traveling through the forest after another training session with Asger. They had just started hand to hand combat, and his speed and size were his greatest allies so far. He suddenly heard a howl of pain on the outskirts of the forest. He quickly made his way towards the sound and when he reached it, he was nearly sick. Standing just in the forest was Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Fishlegs, and Astrid. They were standing around a creature that he recognized from the history books provided by Gothi. It was the offspring of Loki's child Fenrir, it was a black wolf. What it was doing in Berk, he did not know, but what they were doing to it was not right. They each held a different weapon in their hands, and only Fishlegs seemed slightly uncomfortable with what was going on. The wolf was clearly injured and continued to try to escape the circle of humans, but every time he got close, he was prodded back to the middle adding a new injury to his already bleeding hide. They laughed about how it was perfect practice for dragon hunting. In his shock, Hiccup stepped on a branch which snapped with a sound like thunder. All heads quickly snapped to Hiccup and Tuffnut quickly reached out and grabbed the scruff of his vest. He dragged him toward the group, and this is the conversation that ensued:

"Well if isn't Hiccup the Useless." Smirked Snotlout who prodded the swaying wolf back into the center, "What do you think you are doing spying on us?"

Hiccups only answer was, "You shouldn't do that, you are going to anger the god Loki. You shouldn't kill it; his wrath will be upon you." Yet his eyes never left the wolf.

All the children stiffened at this accusation, until Snotlout began to smirk once again.

"We won't kill the beast, you will, oh great hero. Then the wrath of Loki will be on your head." Hiccup began to struggle against the hold of Tuffnut but then Ruffnut grabbed him as well. His training with Asger had not prepared him for this. They roughly shoved his hands behind his back and shoved him forward.

"I won't, you can't make me!" he yelled and squirmed, trying to get out of their holds.

"Either you kill it, or watch us continue to hurt, the poor animal. Then after it finally dies, we can do the same thing to you." He said with a sick twisted smirk. Astrid shoved a sword in his hand and whispered into his ear, "Do it and show us what a true Viking looks like. Stop being so useless, be a man for once." She sneered as she shoved him into the middle of the circle. He stumbled to his knees, and the wolf turned and growled in his direction. They were separated by about 2 feet, but Hiccup could still clearly see the fear and pain in its eyes. The pain was evident in the way its body twitched, but the fear was evident in the snarl of its mouth. It didn't want to be here anymore than he did, and with the way it was dripping blood Hiccup knew it would die that day.

Jeers and shouts rang out around the circle, calls for blood. But all he could focus on was the wolf. He couldn't let him die at the hands of these…these monsters. He slowly rose to his feet and began walking towards the still snarling wolf. It was weak, but Hiccup was not ready for it to lunge forward. Its teeth latched onto his thigh and he screamed in pain as he collapsed to the ground. Blood gushed from between his teeth, but everyone continued to watch. No one moved but the wolf and Hiccup, who's arm came up and brought the sword into the back of the wolf. The wolf let go of his leg and whimpered and pain. His head fell into Hiccup's lap and he looked up. Their eyes met and Hiccup saw acceptance but, so much pain. Blood frothed from his mouth into his lap, as he heaved his last breath.

When Hiccup finally looked up and realized no one was around. They must have scattered at some point during the wolf's death. He slowly pushed the wolf's body off of himself and tried to rise. His leg collapsed as he once more screamed in pain. He ripped off part of his shirt and tied up his leg, like Gothi had taught him. He lay next to the dead body of the wolf for what seemed like hours as he called out for help. Finally, footsteps were heard and then he saw Asger running towards him. He scooped him up and the last thing he remembered was the cries of pain from the wolf and its eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.

* * *

He stumbled as though he had been punched. He landed in front of the dragon who was still staring at him. He knew what he had to do. He wouldn't kill something that didn't know any better. Something that was just afraid and hurt.

He slowly walked toward the dragon and it still did not try to move. He reached the middle of the beast and threw his sword behind him. He didn't need it; his daggers would work better. He pulled one out and began sawing at the ropes. As the third rope snapped, he was shoved onto his back with a large paw on his chest. The dragon stared down on him and roared. Spittle flew from its mouth and it glared down on him with fierce eyes and he didn't know if this would be his last day, all for being weak like his father always said.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Here is chapter 4 and I apologize for the long wait. These first chapters will be somewhat within the time frame of the first movie but, it will take a very different turn when the time is right.**

**godspeed83- I am glad you are liking it so far! I am not sure how long I plan to make this story yet, but I do know that we have quite awhile before we will be finished. Hiccup has a lot of things to accomplish, lots of allies to make, and some revenge before his story is over.**

**Death Fury- In the present time frame of the story he is about 16 years old.**

**Eris- The relationship between Hiccup and Gobber will be a very surface level relationship. Hiccup respects Gobber, but Gobber is also Stoick's best friend and their friendship is based on years of fighting side by side. That being said, I can't see Gobber siding with Hiccup. However, Hiccup does respect Gobber more than most.**

**Mariah- I do have plans for Hiccup to explore this "unknown" and I do have a plan for his pairing, and as a hint it is someone that some fans of this series will know. She will be a bit different, just like Hiccup.**

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks**

* * *

"I looked at him and saw myself."

The paw on his chest seemed to grow heavier and heavier and the claws attached began to draw small drops of blood from his chest. As his vision began to grow blurry from the lack of air he was able to take in, the dragon once more got close to his face. He couldn't help but, observe the creature above him. Its narrow head and large mouth was made for holding large objects. Its scales seemed smooth and harder than most of the other dragons he had encountered, excluding the gronckle. Fins lined its head, and most were laid back on its head, but a few twitched as though sensing the world around them constantly. The acid green eyes narrowed as they seemed to search his face. It roared closer to his face, and suddenly the weight was gone.

Hiccup quickly sat up, as black spots jumped across his vision as the beast that seemed to be made for grace crashed into a tree. He jumped to his feet and rubbed at his chest. It hadn't killed him. It didn't even really harm him besides the small drops of blood it drew from his chest. His ribs burned from the added pressure on his already cracked ribs, but it wasn't any worse than he had before.

He gathered himself and began to silently follow the damage done in the wake of the dragon's effort to fly. He finally reached a drop off that led into a small valley. He watched as the dragon ran, jumped, and flapped its wings but, never left the ground. He studied the beast and began to analyze it once more. Its wings seemed to be about 15 feet long from tip to tip. Its body was around 30 feet long from tip to tail, and it's here he stopped. Its tail was missing a single side. Hiccup had observed the dragons for years, and no dragon had a single fin. They were used for balance, and without it a dragon couldn't fly. In his eagerness to see more, he missed the small stone at his feet. It dropped down into the valley and the dragon froze and its eyes snapped upward. Their eyes connected once more, and an understanding was made. Hiccup had done this to him, and they both had spared each other.

Hiccup scrambled back and began sprinting back to the village. His chest burned from the exertion he had inflicted on it the entire morning. His mind raced faster than even his feet, but he still remembered to stop at his tree with caution and changed back into his clothes. He had left his sword and he berated himself for it, he never forgot things like that in feat of being discovered. But he had to go to the forge. Gobber had said he needed to here especially today, and he seemed urgent. While he didn't trust the blacksmith, he still had some respect for him and his trade. Gobber constantly teased Hiccup, but he was also the person who had taught him the art of working with metal. Hiccup may have surpassed the skills Gobber showed, Gobber didn't know this. Hiccup still showed up every day and did the basic tasks he was handed because, it was in the shop where no one cared to notice he was there, and Gobber believed him to not care what was going on, that he learned the secrets of the village. People conversed with Gobber as their weapons were being fixed, and for a reason unknown to Hiccup they almost always told Gobber their troubles. Whether it was a troubled child or unhappy marriage, they talked. But it was the big secrets shared that Hiccup really cared for. The new trading routes being used, the tension between families, the next dragon raid tactics. Things he knew could possibly be useful. Even his Father forgot he was there and would come and talk with Gobber about everything. The diplomacy between tribes, the wars, the possible future battles, those to trust and not, and much more. Hiccup knew more about the village than any other including Gobber because, not only was he listening in the forge, he was constantly listening. In the shadows as he walked through the village, in the market purchasing food, and even the mess hall where everyone ate. The shadows were his allies, in everything he did.

He arrived at the forge to find what seemed to be his Father and Gobber waiting on him. His insides tensed, but his face remained cool and impassive. He walked through the doorway and took a seat in a chair without acknowledging their presence which seemed to anger his father, while Gobber seemed exasperated. His Father seemed to grit his teeth and finally began speaking to him.

"Gobber seems to believe you should join the dragon training. I am giving you once chance to get this right. I am leaving for a hunt for the dragons' nest, and when I return, I expect to hear that you haven't ruined or messed up anything. Or else." Stoick finished this with a scowl and stomped out of the forge without another word.

"I don't have a real choice in this, do I?" Hiccup asked Gobber, even though he already knew the answer. He was going to have to face more dragons, without giving away his many secrets.

"No ye don't, but think of it this way, you can finally be a man. Ye start tomorrow and don't forget a weapon." And with that Gobber began his work again. The need for a weapon was just another way his Father showed he didn't care for him. Typically, when a Viking starts dragon training, the parents give them a weapon as a show of support. It is typically a weapon handed down through the generations. He would have to bring his own weapon.

He left the forge later that evening and headed towards the woods for his nightly training. There was not much that Asger could teach him anymore, he was a Viking and as so knew the Viking way of fighting, but they still got together to run old drills. He had missed his morning lesson with Gothi, which was typically review, because she tended to give him the day off after an injury. He quickly made his way towards the tree and changed, then began a light jog to warm up before meeting Asger.

He reached the clearing and saw Asger swinging a small sword that he hadn't ever seen before. It was significantly smaller than the typical Viking sword, and seemed to be made of similar material as his _Night Wolf_. It was about the size of his forearm and seemed dwarfed by his large hands. Hiccup purposefully stepped on a stick and waited for the coming reaction.

Asger immediately swung around and held his ground waiting for the attack. Hiccup simply stared at him. Asger slowly brought his sword down and began walking towards Hiccup. When he reached him, his hands began to sign.

_You have trained long and well with me. I have excepted you as my own and it is because of this that I give you this. This sword has been passed down for generations but, none have wielded it. It was bought from a foreign trader many years ago and is unlike anything we have here. I want you to take this to dragon training. Train hard, but don't let your anger control you. _

And with that he grabbed his palm just as they had done years ago, and handed him the sword. Then spun him around shoved him away while pulling an ax from his back. It was time to train and the message was clear, be on guard and be prepared always.

Hiccup spun the sword in his hand as he got a feel for it. It was almost as well balanced as his own weapon and it was light enough for him to be able to use effectively. They circled and assessed each other. Asger's weapon was made for brute force which made him slow. His body was large, and his strength equaled that of Stoick. He favored his right side as he had been injured on his left from a rouge solider during the war between tribes. These were his weaknesses but, his greatest strength was his patience.

This was one of Hiccup's weaknesses. He had more patience than most Vikings, but he still grew impatient. His other weakness is his pride. He knew he was smarter than those around him and he was faster. Asger knew this and used it against him. So, he waited.

Hiccup's patience ran out and he lunged forward but, Asger was ready. Using his ax, he caught the sword swinging towards his head and shoved it away. His fist flew up in the gap created by the shove and slammed it into Hiccup's chest. Hiccup stumbled but, never lost his balance, he had grown since they had begun his training years ago. He quickly corrected but, Asger was ready for him. The flat of Asger's ax swung towards Hiccup's legs. He flipped backwards and swung his new sword to intercept the flying ax. It slammed into the metal of the ax and left a large indent in the blade. The sword was ripped from his hands as it had gotten stuck in the ax. He rolled backwards and quickly assessed Asger once more. He ripped the sword apart from his ax, and to Hiccups surprise there was no visible damage on his sword, just a large missing section from the ax. Asger twirled both the sword and the ax in his hands, but Hiccup watched as he favored his ax as it was in his right hand. This was an advantage Hiccup had in a fight with Asger as he was able to fight equally well with both of his hands. Asger swung both the sword and ax in a large circle, as Hiccup nimbly evaded his attack. He evaluated Asger and watched as he continued to swing either weapon at him as he slowly wore himself out. He was slowing and the use of his two weapons left him vulnerable to a counter attack. He was on the offense and would have a very hard time defending himself because of the range of his weapons.  
Hiccup suddenly saw his opportunity when Asger swung both in a high arch. He sprang forward and slammed one fist into his chest to throw him off balance and distract him from his real plan. His right elbow slammed into Asger's left wrist. He grunted in pain and dropped the sword, just as Hiccup had planned. Hiccup rolled forward, grabbed his sword, rose to one knee just barely bringing his sword up to catch the downward stroke of Asger's ax. Both arms strained to hold the ax above his head and it slowly moved towards his head. Sweat dripped into his face and his eyes locked with Asger's, whose eyes shown with victory. This was how he lost. Asger always told him, never celebrate your victory until the battle is done.

Hiccup loosened his grip on his sword causing Asger to move downward faster than he expected. Hiccup's head slammed forward into his nose causing Asger to immediately stumble backwards as blood sprayed from his nose. Using his kneeling stance, Hiccup slammed his shoulder into his stomach forcing him to the ground, ignoring the pain in his head because with Victory comes sacrifice.

Asger landed on his back but, began immediately rolling to his feet. The flat of Hiccup's sword swung at his legs forcing him back onto his back. The ax flashed but, his sword was already at his throat. Hiccup smiled a wicked smile filled with victory but, Asger simply smirked. He slowly brought his ax in front of Hiccups face. A small drop of blood hung from the blade and Hiccup reached for his side where he remembers feeling a small pinch when his sword had been taken from him. Asger had drawn first blood. Hiccup may have won the fight, but he did not win everything. He slowly retracted his sword and climbed to his feet. He extended his hand and tried to pull Asger up. He was yanked down and tossed aside, and he knew it was a repayment for his broken nose.

Hiccup completed his training by doing his daily workout of laps, pushups, sit-ups, and other simple workouts. Once he finished with this, he and Asger put away their training equipment back in the tree. Hiccup strapped his sword to his side even though he preferred having it on his back. He needed to get through this training without giving away the fact he could easily win this competition. His "classmates" may have trained for years, but none worked as long or hard as he had.

His mind raced as he thought of the competition, new improvements for his weapons, his new sword and the significance of it, but mostly about the dragon he had downed. He would have to do something with it.

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**Thank you for all the ****encouragement, and please review and tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Authors Note: So let me start with I absolutely love this series including the TV shows and shorts. I saw The Hidden World and cried ****because, I am so sad it is over. But this story is probably going to be not much like the movies. I love Stoick in the movies but, in this fic he didn't treat Hiccup as he should have. Hiccup is broken and hurting, and because of that he is going to cause a lot of destruction. I may write another story later where the characters are more like how they are in the movies but, this one they are much different. **

**I also want to point out that Toothless is going to be just as amazing in this story as before. I love his playful side but, in this fic you won't see it as often. He is the offspring of lightning and death, and in the movies he is taken a lot more lightly than he will be in this. He is the true alpha, he is faster than almost all dragons (save the speed stingers), and he is scary when he is angry. **

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks**

* * *

"Is this some kind of joke to you…figure out which side you are on."

The dragon crashed into the walls of the killing arena as it tried to catch the screaming teenagers. Gobber had decided to just watch and see what happened, and Hiccup rolled his eyes at the audacity of this man. He had been casually circling around the inside of the arena, pretending to struggle with the weight of his shield, although he had been lifting things bigger than this since his 9th year. He wasn't even really paying attention to the fight going on, his mind was directed more at the issue of his dragon. He hadn't realized he had referred to the dragon as his until that moment, but he just smirked. His sword was still strapped to his side, and Gobber continued to yell at them all, but the majority was at Hiccup to pull out his sword. He continued to ignore him and observe his classmates. He already knew all of their fighting strengths and weaknesses from years of observation, but it was almost sad how slow they were and the true lack of skill. Sure, the girl Astrid was good with her ax and she would likely win among the other teens, she still depended too much on her weapon. Her pride blinded her to everyone around her.

Suddenly the dragon turned and began charging at Hiccup. He almost smirked and his fingers longed to grab his sword to toy with the dragon, but he continued to lean against the wall. Gobber screamed his name but, he still did not move. When the dragon was about a foot away, he ducked and then side stepped, still keeping in mind his speed, and the dragon slammed into the wall. It flew away dazed and then began charging Tuffnut who was running and screaming around the arena. He pretended to be shocked and scared but, the gronckle could never truly scare him, especially after staring down the offspring of lightning and death itself.

Gobber finally grabbed the dragon by its mouth and threw it into its cage and slammed the door shut. Gobber explained how every dragon went for the kill, but Hiccup could only internally smirk. As always, he knew more than most around him.

As he was leaving the ring, sword still strapped to his side he felt a hand grab his shoulder. Instinct took over and before anyone could blink, he had twisted Astrid's hand and pinned her to the floor with ease. Shock mingled in the group, and Hiccup internally panicked, until he began pretending to be struggling with holding her down and when she "broke" free he "stumbled" to the ground in "terror." Astrid seemed livid and stunned at being bested by the town pest, but quickly disguised it.

"Is this some kind of joke to you?!" She screamed at him, and her lack of control made him feel a small pang of pity.

Hiccup simply clumsily got to his feet, ducked his head, and then quickly walked out of the arena. He headed straight for Asgers home in order to tell him his slip up.

When he arrived Asger simply signed in defeat, for he knew that one day Hiccup would be found out. The look he sent to Hiccup said many things. Be careful, watch your back, and no matter what happens don't let them know just how much power and skill you possess.

* * *

His bare feet absorbed any noise that might have been heard as he jogged through the dense trees. He had been jogging at a brisk pace for about 20 minutes and was quite close to his destination. On his back he had strapped a basket of fish, and though it was heavy it was nothing he couldn't handle. He reached the small valley and left his basket at the top. He observed the blue water and waited for the dragon. Suddenly a black blur flew past his face and he jumped back, his hand automatically reaching for the sword strapped to his side, as he now never left without it. He watched at the dragon angrily clawed at the wall, desperately flapping its wings. It soared back down and seemed to grow weary as it just laid its head down on the ground.

Hiccup quickly grabbed his basket and began quietly climbing down the steep wall. He made it level with the dragon and as he watched the flaps on its head seemed to follow his every movement, but it showed no other movement. He began walking forward and a small growl began in the chest if the dragon and as he got closer its sound grew in volume. When he was about 15 feet away from the dragon, it sprang to its feet, but he had been watching it to closely to be completely surprised. Its back rose in an arch and it growled in anger. Yet it wasn't looking at him, it was looking at his sword. Hiccup slowly reached for his sword, and the volume of its growl transformed into a snarl. Hiccups eyes never left the dragon as his hand slowly pulled out his sword. He tossed his sword to his right behind a large rock. The dragon slowly lowered its body until it was in a crouch and his volume lowered but what truly mattered was its eyes snapped up and made eye contact with Hiccup. This is when they both froze. Just as before their eyes told their stories that only the other could read. The dragon was angry, frustrated, and hungry, but mostly it was scared. Hiccup was afraid, excited, and upset with himself for what he had done. They understood each other and for a reason only known by the gods they were now connected. Yet the dragon still was not happy with this development, although it was hungry. Eyes still locked, Hiccup began slowly reaching around his back causing the dragon to tense further and increase its volume.  
Hiccup grabbed a single fish, tossed it to the dragon, and watched as the dragon snatched it out of the air. It slowly began walking towards Hiccup, who stood his ground but, crouched to be on an equal level while also guarding his vital organs. Hiccup held out a single fish and it opened its mouth to show toothless lips. As he pondered this as he could have sworn it had teeth, the teeth snapped out and snatched the cod from his hand.  
He smirked at this, Toothless, how ironic, just like himself. A false sense of security either in a trait or a name, causes your enemy to underestimate you. Their first mistake happens within seconds of hearing their names, and Hiccup smirked. That is until he remembered the dragon towering over him. The dragon suddenly grabbed his shoulder with his gummy mouth and flipped him over. He felt the claws of the dragon fall on his back as he heard the shrink of his teeth being unsheathed, a small shiver of fear ran through his body until he felt it began tearing viciously at the basket still attached to his back.

Minutes passed as he barely dared breathe as he listened the dragon vigorously eat the fish, and within minutes he felt the weight of the large creature leave his back. He heaved a large sigh and slowly rolled over. The dragon was now multiple yards away drinking from small pond, seemingly no longer caring about Hiccups presence. Feeling as though he had pushed his luck enough, he gathered the remnants of the basket and his sword and sprinted towards the wall before beginning to climb the wall almost like the small animals of the wood, climb the trees.

* * *

Fire sprayed past his face, but Hiccup simply turned and began walking the other way. Sword strapped to his side and "struggling" under the weight of his shield, he walked throughout the maze of planks. The Deadly Nadder moved on to the arguing twins who seemed genuinely scared of the large angry dragon. Hiccup's mind raced with studying the dragon while also planning for a new project. A project that could repay the dept he owed to that dragon; the dragon he had crippled and that had spared his life. The life dept was paid but, he had taken something unmatched. Its ability to embrace its environment, the thing that made it who it was.

Suddenly part of the wall began falling towards him and he quickly rolled out of the way landing in a crouch, sword in hand and shield raised. His reflexes were to strong at times because, standing on the other side of the wall stood the other teens frozen once more watching him in shock. He almost rolled his eyes at how such a simple act of moving away put them is such a state. The dragon took its chance as they all stood in shock and jumped on the nearest one which happened to be Snotlout, which made Hiccup almost smirk. It roared in its face and it was Gobber's yells that caused the other teens to begin to move. The twins gave their strange battle cries but, the dragon simply swept them away with its tail like they were child's toys. Fishlegs gave a pitiful cry and ran forward and was batted away with a swift flick of its wings. Astrid gave a legitimate war cry and jumped, raising her ax and aiming for its head. Hiccup "accidently" let go of his shield causing it to roll, tangling in her feet causing her to fall. The nadder gave a victorious squawk and then made eye contact with Hiccup and he was surprised. The nadder looked almost like it found this whole thing humorous and exciting. It appreciated his help but, he needed to know it would still hurt him if needed.

Gobber finally made his way down and grabbed the nadder by its jaw and dragged it back to its cage and then Astrid struck. She screamed in outrage and tackled Hiccup, who dropped his sword and allowed her to take him down. Her fist came up and began flying towards his face when, Gobber's large hand grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her up. As he began sitting up another body threw itself at him. Snotlout grabbed his shoulders and slammed him into the ground.  
"Think you can mess us up! Think you can mess with my GIRL!" Astrid yelled in indignation at this but, Gobber simply snatched them both up setting them aside He began a long rant about what they all did wrong, about teamwork, and picking on the little ones. Hiccup simply zoned out his words and reigned in his anger. These fools would be sorry, one day it would be them on the floor.

He returned that night to the valley and quickly climbed down with another bag of fish strapped to his bag. As soon as he reached the ground, he removed the bag from his back and crouched waiting for the dragon to show. His night vision was better than most due to training many nights training in the woods, but the valley was much too dark to see very far, as the moon was just a sliver. A dark dart of black streaked at the edge of his vision, it continued to dart faster than his eyes could see until suddenly it was less than 10 feet in front of him. It snarled and growled waiting for his next move. Hiccup's hand slowly reached behind him and grabbed the basket tossing it towards the dragon. It once more viciously attacked the fish until it reached the end where it suddenly snarled. It grew angrier and more scared than he had ever seen. Hiccup quickly made his way forward and grabbed the basket trying to stay out of the dragons angry pacing. At the bottom surrounded by fish was an eel. He quickly grabbed it and pulled it out causing the dragon, or Toothless as he now called him in his head, to scream in rage. He quickly threw it into the water and backed away but this time a little closer.

This is how their nights went, every night Hiccup would bring fish and each time come a little closer. The dragon began to grow indifferent of the boy who brought fish and watched. This is all Hiccup did, he observed and made notes on what he came to admire in this extraordinary beast. It moved with grave unseen in any other dragon he had seen. It hid in the shadows and used them to his advantage. They were a lot alike in the way they moved and lived. It was an understanding they finally reached as the weeks passed. They were tolerant of each other, and they were too similar to ignore. As the weeks passed in his dragon training classes, nothing changed in how he acted. Small slip ups occurred every now and then but, they were so infrequent that everyone watching simply ignored it. Most of his days were spent ignoring the village, and spending time in the forge, with Gothi, or Asger. But his nights were spent with the dragon, with Toothless. It was within the third week of his constant presence that he finally touched the dragon. He had been drawing in the sand and Toothless had copied his actions. He had stepped through the lines and finally felt the breath of the dragon on his neck. He turned and once more made eye contact with the dragon. As it always was and will be, their eyes connected them. The dragon showed weariness but, slow acceptance. Hiccup's showed hope and excitement. So, Hiccup broke the eye contact in a sign of respect, and turned from him showing his vulnerability, though every bone in his being told him not too. He outstretched his hand as a show of trust and waited with slight fear in his heart. The smooth scales of the dragon touched his hand and he smirked in relief. He finally turned and watched as the eyes of the dragon opened and it once more snarled and darted away. **[scene belongs to Dreamworks but, I love that scene]**

Another week passed before he finally made a prototype of a tail. The first ride did not go well, but it gave him many ideas on how to improve it. Following his prototype, the weeks passed with many new tests and experiments and they both learned to not only trust each other but, fly with one another. It was when Hiccup decided to try something new that things went wrong and of course it was the day his father returned and the day of the final test.

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**Slight cliffhanger? Everyone needs one of those. **


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Authors Note: Well here is the some action. I am really excited for what is going to come next. Review and let me know what you think!**

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks

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"I said stop the fight!"

The morning of the big test arrived with little excitement in Hiccup's life. Astrid had won, no surprise there, and Hiccup had managed to fly underneath the eyes of all watching with little inquiry. Luckily it was Gothi who picked the champion and it was Gothi who helped keep all eyes off of him. His relationship with Toothless had grown from tolerance to understanding, and dare he say friends. They had learned to fly together and Toothless no longer snarled when he entered the valley. Instead he seemed to be waiting in participation for him to arrive every night. He had learned much from Toothless, had learned some secrets of dragons and was excited to explore more. The biggest thing he had learned was that dragons were very intelligent. Toothless seemed to be able to communicate with him in ways he still did not understand.

His curiosity could not be sated, he needed to know whether all dragons were like this. His father was meant to return any day now but, this was his best opportunity. The arena had been set up the day before and all people were gathering for the traditional meal before the fight. It was a sign to the champion that the village was with them, and Gothi bestowed a blessing from the gods upon them in hopes of them surviving. If they lived their families were blessed for the next 10 generations. If they died, well then, the gods were not with them and they were considered a curse on the village. Most families left the village in shame and were never seen again.

So, all of the village would be gathered in the Great Hall, and the arena would be well lit from the sun and no one would be seen for hours. The fight was scheduled for late afternoon, a time that legends said the gods all gathered together for sport.

He would have liked to do test this at night but, he ran the risk of being spotted by the night guards and a possible dragon raid, which seemed to happen most at night. It was custom that all gathered in the Great Hall for this meal to show the gods they trusted them for protection over their village and champion. Hiccup planned to use this time to test out his latest questions. Were all dragons intelligent like Toothless.

He slowly made his way into the arena and looked around for any other people left. He had scouted around the entire village multiple times and more so around the arena itself. He had found no one, even Aster was in the Great Hall, although he tended to avoid all gatherings of the town. He walked to the last cage, the only one that hadn't been opened during training. He wanted to see whether this dragon was worth being killed. If it showed no intelligence, then he would leave it to be slaughtered like the beast that it was. He needed to know whether all dragons were worth saving like he had Toothless.

He gathered his strength and fingered the old dagger at his side. It seemed to show Toothless that he could be somewhat trusted, so might as well give it his all. He slowly reached up and grabbed the handle and pulled down. The dragon burst out with a mighty burst of fire, and slowly realized it was not alone in the arena. It began making its way towards him and Hiccup dropped his dagger, finally making eye contact with the giant red beast. That's when he saw it, emotions of anger and slight fear but most of all intelligence. It was INTELIGENT! He nearly jumped with joy, and almost lost focus but, quickly refocused. He couldn't let the beasts of this village kill something that was likely more intelligent than half the village. He stretched out his hand and the dragon growled but, did not back away. His hand made contact with its nose and he felt it begin to relax. He began slowly making his way backwards toward the gate. Their eyes never left one another, and he watched as the dragon's wariness faded and excitement began filling them. Yet, he never looked away.

He finally made it outside of the gate and just outside of the arena. His hand had remained on the snout of the dragon the entire walk and he slowly raised his hand. They were in the open but, the dragon seemed reluctant to leave. This was the home it had known for many years. It hadn't been outside of its cage since the last Monstrous Nightmare had been killed. Their eyes remained locked until he heard the dreaded sound of his father's voice.

"HICCUP! WHAT ARE YE DOING WITH THAT DRAGON! GET AWAY FROM THERE YOU FOOL!"

The dragon's eyes turned to slits and it growled viciously. Hiccup quickly stepped away but, surprisingly it stepped over him almost as a guard. It roared in the direction of the hunting party that had just arrived home. He had hoped they would be gone a few more days, but it seems his luck ran out. The group of hunters charged, and the dragon let loose a burst of fire, keeping Hiccup beneath its feet but, he couldn't stay here and watch it get slaughtered. He sprang forward just as the first hunter reached them. His feet slammed into the chest of his father who flew back not excepting the blow. Hiccup used his momentum to flip backwards grabbing the horn of the dragon, then used it to fling himself towards the oncoming crowd who seemed frozen in shock. The pest, Hiccup the Useless, the Chiefs SON, had just knocked over their chief and his own father.  
Hiccup flew into the group of men and woman knocking over many and knocked the rest out of their stupor. The dragon took that as his que and set himself on fire. Hiccup fought his way through the crowd. He was faster than all those around him and used it to his advantage. All the warriors held large weapons slowing them down further. One man brought his ax in a downward stroke while another swung his hammer sideways at his head. He quickly jumped sideways slamming into another woman but, allowing the two weapons to collide, destroying one and cracking another. The woman swung her sword skimming his side and causing blood to leak onto the ground. He quickly grabbed the hilt of the sword and slammed his head forward. Their heads connected and she fell to the floor. He swung his sword in a large circle knocking one hammer from the hands of a man and slicing the arm of another.

The dragon wasn't sitting ideally, he had been caged for far too long. He swept his tale round catching at least five men and woman off guard. He sprayed fire at the many shields being used to try to protect themselves. Stoick finally joined the fight and headed straight for the dragon. It roared in challenge and everyone else froze to watch the fight. Hiccup quickly disarmed the remaining men and woman, but by then the rest of the village had come down from the Great Hall. There were to many of them to win this fight and save the dragon who defended him. Hiccup sprinted towards the dragon, who was no longer on fire but locked in combat with his father. Using one of the men as a backboard Hiccup once more kicked off and wrapped his legs around his father, leaned back, and flipped his father on his back. The wind was knocked out of Hiccup's lungs but, it wasn't the first time he had tried that move, as Asger had taught it to him. He jumped to his feet and turned in front of the dragon. With the snarling dragon behind his back, bodies littered at his feet, and the fighting stance he seemed to automatically take, the entire village froze.

"You…you MONSTER!"

"He's even more of a freak than we realized!"

"There is no way Useless did all this."

"Is that dragon…defending him?!"  
"Did you see that?"  
Cries rang out from the people and no one dared move, except one. Stoick wiped the blood from his lip and rose to his feet a few yards away from the pair and snarled almost like the beast at Hiccup's back.

"You are not my son, you have never been my son. You are a freak, and you will die alongside the beast that you stand in front of. KILL THEM BOTH!" Stoick screamed this as he grabbed a weapon from the ground and charged. Hiccup made a split-second decision as soon as he made eye contact with Asger. He slowly nodded and said nothing but, he said all Hiccup needed to know. He had his blessing and do what needed to be done.

Hiccup grabbed the horn of the dragon and flung himself on the back of dragon who tried to shake him off. He grabbed both horns and yanked them backwards.  
"GO!" and that was the last word heard from Hiccup Haddock the Third in front of the town of Berk for a long time.  
The dragon took to the skies trying to shake the human off its back. It seemed to view him as more of an annoyance than a true threat. Flying this dragon was a lot different than flying with Toothless but, he did his best. He held tightly to the horns and began steering him towards the cove. They began their decent into the valley and his mind raced with what had happened at the arena but, before he could think very long, something strong and hard slammed into his side knocking him off of the dragon and causing the dragon to be knocked off course and slam into the dirt. Hiccup rolled through the dirt finally coming to a stop when a pair of legs stepped over him. All he could see was darkness and hear the deep growl of another dragon. Toothless! Toothless roared in challenge at the dragon who had finally gotten to its feet, roaring in acceptance to his challenge. Toothless slowly stepped over Hiccup and began slowly circling with the Monstrous Nightmare. He was protecting Hiccup from what he thought was a threat. The dragons snarled and roared, and Hiccup was frozen in surprise. Suddenly Toothless darted forward and jumped at the chest of the dragon slashing and biting. The Monstrous Nightmare did not sit idly instead it screamed in rage and began clawing at the dragon attached to its chest. Large scratches were opened on the chest of the red dragon and blood poured from its wounds causing Toothless to lose his grip. As he fell the claws of the red dragon scraped his leg causing more blood to pour onto the ground. He quickly darted back to Hiccup and roared. The dragons seemed to be rearing up to go again, when Hiccup finally got to his feet and ran between them throwing up his hands. The fire building in both of their throats seemed to die and they both growled waiting for his next move. He slowly raised his gaze and made eye contact with Toothless first. Toothless was angry but, Hiccup was scared not for himself but for his dragon. Toothless slowly lowered his volume and his stance and waited for his next move. Hiccup finally turned his eyes towards the dragon who he had saved and who had saved his in return. It was also angry and didn't understand why this small human was standing between he and his opponent. But still it waited because, this small human had set him free. Blood continued to drip from its wounds, and the ground was stained in its color. Hiccup slowly turned with his back to Toothless and began to slowly walking towards the dragon. Both growled in warning, Toothless in an effort to make him stay back, and the other in an effort to keep him away. He threw one hand backwards to keep Toothless back. He continued walking never breaking eye contact with the dragon. It continued to growl but, made no movements. He finally reached the dragon and slowly extended his hand and waited. The dragon hesitated but, finally put his head in his hand. Hiccup reached around and scratched his head. He brought himself level with his ear and whispered for it to fly, run, flee, whatever it needed to do to get away. It seemed to understand him and slowly began backing away. Toothless once more growled and Hiccup threw a warning glare and began pushing the dragon away. It finally took off in a shaky flight and Hiccup turned back to Toothless. His vision began to blur, and he suddenly felt the pain in his side that he had forgotten about. He had been slashed not very deep but, he had let it continue to bleed for far too long. His legs slowly began to give out but, suddenly Toothless was underneath him. He seemed to coo at him, and they limped over to a small cave that Toothless had used to avoid the weather, and Hiccup had begun storing things there as well in case he needed to law low for a while. He quickly gathered some cloth and some medicine Gothi used to prevent infection. He made his way towards Toothless who was laying on his side licking at his wounds. Hiccup approached his head and he growled but, continued his work. He sat up against Toothless's back and began cleaning his side when he felt Toothless nose at his hands. He removed his hands and watched as Toothless began licking at his wound. When it was finally clean, Hiccup rinsed it with his medicine and wrapped it. With his hands covered in his own blood be began cleaning Toothless's leg. There blood mixed just as he had done with Asger years ago. They had fought for and with each other. In more ways they grew connected. He wrapped up his leg and left the rest of his small wounds. Bruises littered his entire body but, nothing could be done for those.

He observed what he had stored in their cave, a small number of rations, a set of normal clothes and training clothes, weapons he did not care much for, and various medical supplies. He would need more because, he knew he could no longer stay here. He had been disowned and publicly humiliated once more. Asger had given his blessing and he had never belonged here anyway. But he needed more supplies and a plan. He smirked, he knew what he needed to do.


	8. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, school has been a little crazy lately. But here is the long awaited chapter. This one is more of a filler of some things that need to be known before his real adventure begins.**

**Thank you everyone for commenting and giving suggestions for my story. I love hearing feedback and I plan to go back and fix those long paragraphs and the miscellaneous mistakes. **

**LightningStorm2003: Hiccup has a lot of growing to do before he returns to Berk. Hiccup was not brought up to forgive and forget, and the places he will go will also teach him what it is to be a warrior, solider, and more. However, that does not mean that one day he won't return. You know what they say Hell hath no fury like a warrior/dragon scorned. ;)**

**The quotes at the beginning of the previous chapters were quotes from the movie to show a connection to who Hiccup was or the story line. But now that he is leaving so are the quotes for now.**

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks**

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Chapter 7

He waited three days before he made his move, just enough to keep them on edge but for their guard to be down. It was that night that another dragon raid occurred, and it only added to his plan. He and Toothless flew to the edge of the forest and watched for a few minutes as the dragons began tear apart his village. All hands were busy fighting this fight an no one would notice him if he was careful. He left Toothless in the forest with the instruction to wait for his call. He made his way towards his father's home and slowly made his way inside. He made his way into his father's room and found the money he knew he had stored there. He filled a small pouch on his hip and sealed it tight enough to erase sound. He wanted his father to notice but, did not want the village to fully believe his father about it.

He kept very little here but, he could use the clothes he had designed. A dark cloak with a hood that helped him blend in at night was his biggest priority tonight. He slipped out of the clothes he was wearing and grabbed the darkest clothing, including dark boots of his own design. They were meant for gripping the ground and keeping his footsteps silent.

Before he could leave, he noticed something on his desk. The small hammer his father had given him when he was born. He quickly snatched it and shoved it in his pocket. It would serve as a reminder of Berks his father's treatment and the betrayal he suffered. He jumped out of his window and landed in a roll. He slipped on his hood and began making his way towards town. He slipped through town avoiding contact with people and beast alike. He finally reached the forge with no problem and peaked inside. Working at the fires was Gobber and Hiccup sighed. He didn't want to have to encounter anyone, on this mission. Suddenly he felt something bump up against his back and he froze.

He slowly turned and hovering at his eye level was a small purple Terrible Terror and he relaxed. It nosed at his hair and he was confused until he remembered Toothless had rubbed against him for a long time before he left. He must have marked him. The Terrible Terror seemed satisfied and seemed to be waiting for something and Hiccup smirked as plan entered his mind.

He tossed the Terrible Terror into the forge through the window and hid his laughter as he heard Gobber yell.  
"GET OUT OF HERE YE WEE VERMIN!"

Metal clattered throughout the forge and Hiccup finally heard his stumble out of the forge muttering curses and following the Terrible Terror. Hiccup quickly slipped inside and went to his back room. He found all of his papers just as he had left them. He sorted through his papers and gathered them all into a satchel he kept in there. These included new designs for Toothless's tail, new weapons, and much more. He quickly opened a hidden part in the wall and pulled out _Night Wolf _and strapped it to his back. He then grabbed his sword that lay next to his desk and strapped it to his side. He had not been able to read the inscriptions that lay on the blade and as such, had not yet named it. The sword was a true work of art, about 2 and half feet long, and the entire blade was in scripted with foreign symbols and pictures and had been wrapped in the finest leather he could find. Unlike _Night Wolf_it was completely symmetrical and used for close combat only. He then pulled up part of floor and pulled out his daggers. He strapped them under his cloak to his arms and legs. He felt his confidence rise now that he finally held his beloved weapons.

He checked the room and found no sign he had ever set foot in that room. He quickly exited the room and found the forge to still be empty. He made his way outside and made his way towards Gothi's hut, he needed more supplies and he needed to say goodbye and explain to the two people he cared about. He felt something land on his shoulders and he almost laughed, the purple Terrible Terror was back and seemed content to be on his shoulders. He reached up and lightly scratched under its chin and it seemed to purr like Toothless did. He decided to leave it, as it seemed to come in handy.

As he walked through the shadows of the huts, he came upon the scene of the teenagers fighting a Deadly Natter. Spikes littered the ground around them, and scorch marks marred their clothes and shields. As he was about to turn to go around, he heard his name.

"I don't understand how Hiccup the Useless could take out any of our people." This was said by Ruffnut who barely had time to raise her shield as more spikes flew.

"He didn't, they must have all tripped, plus they were all tired from the hunt. He's too small to have even made a dent in any of _my_people." Said Snotlout as his chest puffed in pride from _his people. _He was next in line for Chief now that Hiccup was gone. Tuffnut slammed into him causing them both to barely miss the stream of fire. They tumbled in a mess of limbs and weapons and suddenly Astrid was in front of them muttering curses. As the boys tried to get to their feet Astrid's shield took the majority of the impact of the spike thrown in their direction although one slipped through and scratched her arm. She hissed and picked up Tuffnut's mace throwing it straight and true. It slammed into the head of the Deadly Natter who stumbled in a daze. Snotlout finally made it to his feet muttering something about helping his babe and Astrid seemed to grow even angrier until, someone else spoke.

"He did take out Astrid one day during training." This was said by Fishlegs who squeaked in fear when Astrid suddenly turned on him. Fishlegs had admired what Hiccup had done and had always noticed that he was smarter than anyone else he had met. He had wished they would have been friends but, he was too scared to defy the other teens. If they teased Hiccup then they left him alone.

"He did not take me out! It was an accident! He could never beat me in anything he ever did!" with that she gave a scream of rage and threw her ax at the dragon. Astrid had been suspicious of Hiccup ever since they were young, and he continually disappeared without a trace. The day they had forced him to kill the wolf snapped into her mind and she frowned. He had done it. He had killed before any of the rest of them and survived. Something about him always put her on edge and that day was a reminder that there was something inside of Hiccup that they did not know.

There had been speculation and small whispers throughout the village during their dragon training about Hiccup. Whether he was hiding something. Astrid had tried to follow him one day when he disappeared into the forest but, she made it only a few yards in before she lost him. It was as though he simply disappeared. He had simply climbed a tree when he had turned in the wrong direction than he originally planned to go. He had watched her in disgust as she tromped through the woods disturbing the peace and scattering any wild life within a mile of her. She began yelling curses when she finally realized she had lost him, although it took her at least 5 minutes after he began lounging in the tree for her to notice she could not see him. She began swinging her ax around, and he winced at the lack of control of her temper. He decided she was not worth his time and climbed to his feet on the large branch he stood. Grabbing a small nut from the tree he threw it in the opposite direction of himself. She immediately turned and began slowly walking in that direction with her ax raised. He gave her credit in his mind, for approaching the situation with less aggression than before.

He leaned against the tree, inhaled a breath, and took off running down the large limb. He took a flying leap into the next tree and snagged a branch with his arms flinging himself once more into the next tree. It had taken him many years before he was able to do this so smoothly and with as little noise as possible. Many bruises and cuts were gained during this time. He left Astrid and listened as she frantically looked for him. She never would be able to keep up.

The ax she threw sank deep into the dragons leg and it screeched in pain. Hiccup winced in sympathy but, he could do nothing now. He slowly turned away and began making his way once more to Gothi's hut.

He climbed the stairs of Gothi's hut and almost ran face first into Asger, who seemed to be waiting for him. He slapped his hand over Hiccup's mouth, and then grabbed his arm dragging him up the stairs shoving him into Gothi's hut. Gothi sat at her table, sipping at a drink, and she seemed to smirk at him. He kneeled before her as a sign of respect, and she smacked him with her staff. He rubbed at his head and the dragon hissed but, she simply smacked it with her staff as well and it calmed.  
Her hands began to sign and a conversation between Gothi, Asger, and Hiccup began.

_"So, the prodigal son has returned." _She said with a smirk.

Asger's hand smacked him in the back, "_It seems you have chosen your side in this war, and I can't say I blame you."_

_"I don't know how to explain or what you want to hear."_But Gothi silenced him with a wave of her hand.

"_You do not have to explain. We know you, we have watched you grow, and we raised you differently than any other before. We knew you would be different we just did not know how. Now we do, and we support you in that. We may not understand it but, we watched as that dragon defended you. You will do great things, whether they are good or bad, we support you." _Gothi smiled.

"_I won't forget you both, but I cannot stay here. I will be back and no matter what happens I will protect you both. If ever you need me, send a message and I will be here." _Hiccup bowed his head to both and was once more smacked in the head.

_"Stop that. You act as though we are only your teachers, and not your family." _Gothi once more smirked as Hiccup rubbed his head and the dragon on his shoulder seemed to almost laugh. She pulled a ring from her finger and handed it to him.  
"_This ring is used by traders throughout the seas and is given rarely. It is a sign of trust and is shown in order to do trade with all. Use it well." _Gothi placed the ring in his palm and closed his hand over it. Asger too tossed a ring at him and before he could grab it, the dragon jumped from his shoulder, and snatched it out of the air. He almost yelled until it flew back to his shoulder and dropped it into his palm.

"_The sword at your side, has been passed down through my family, but what you don't know is that my family was once second only to the chief. We were great warriors and made many friends among other tribes. We were part of a secret organization dedicated only to each other, and while this group no longer meets together, it still exists. This group has done great things, whether they were good or bad, they did it only for each other. I never looked for this group. This ring signifies you also can be trusted, and that you are part of my family. Good luck and do what you need to do. You are a warrior and never forget this." _Asger smiled at Hiccup and grabbed his palm as he had before years ago.

Hiccup slipped the rings on each hand and grabbed the bag Gothi offered him. He swept his gaze over her hut one last time and then began climbing back down the stairs. He made it to the outskirts of town and gave a long loud whistle. He heard the confused voices of the village asking if it had been a Night Fury and he almost smirked. A burst of black streaked towards him and he quickly sprinted forward jumping at the last second landing on his back, though not his best landing he quickly adjusted and snapped open his fin. Toothless roared and took to the skies. Hiccup smirked and gave another long and loud whistle causing Toothless to join him. He heard the screams of terror below and almost laughed. How the tables had turned. But now was not the time. He had Toothless shoot out all three watchtowers and they then took off high into the sky heading back to their valley one last time.

When they landed Hiccup jumped off his back and Toothless growled. He had almost forgotten about his newest attachment, and it growled in challenge. It had courage and spunk he'd give it that. A little spitfire. It would come in handy to have someone so small and willing to do as he said. But Toothless was not happy. Hiccup lifted the dragon off his shoulders and sat him on the ground waiting to see what would happen. It had to prove itself.  
The dragon charged forward and jumped at Toothless, who simply batted him away like a toy. The dragon growled once more and began running towards Hiccup, and Toothless growled until it stopped at his feet and turned towards Toothless growling. It was willing to protect him against something much larger. It seemed that's all Toothless needed, because he grunted in reluctance but acceptance. He walked to the cave and waited for Hiccup to follow. Hiccup smirked and picked up the small dragon he would now call Spitfire and placed him on his shoulder and almost laughed when it simply yawned, puffing out smoke as it fell sleep wrapped around his neck.

He walked into their cave and began assessing what they had. There were 3 baskets of fish waiting for Toothless, and a small fire was waiting for Hiccup to roast some for himself. He had already begun smoking some to take on the road. He had learned much being forced to live in the woods as an exercise by Asger, and now it would come in handy. He had a few loaves of bread given to him by Gothi, a waterskin, a few rations of smoked meat, basic first aid supplies, his weapons, the clothes he wore and a set of spares, his designs, basic supplies and tools to fix Toothless's tail if needed, and most importantly an incomplete map of the world the Vikings knew. It was not a lot but, it was enough that it would slow Toothless down. They would need to find somewhere safe to store their things.

He planned to head first south west, as to the north was said to be in the end of the world, and he was not ready to encounter the Viking tribes of the East and West yet, and stories had been told of the savages of those directly south. He had things in the cave that he needed to hide away, old weapons mostly. He gathered these and took the sleepy dragon from his shoulder setting him in front of the remaining supplies. He jumped on the back of Toothless and they took to the skies. The weapons had been used for his training and were of no real use to him. They flew over the deep waters of the ocean and Hiccup let them fall.

They returned to the cave, and Toothless slept as Hiccup gathered as many of the spare scales left by Toothless. He tossed them in the small pond, so if ever one was to find this place it would look only like a stop for dragons not a place it had stayed for many weeks. He finally laid against Toothless, with Spitfire laid across his legs and tried to sleep. His mind raced with memories, ideas, and so much more, but finally he slept waiting for tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 8

**Authors Note: Wow look at that, two chapters in two days, I am on a roll. Plus longest chapter yet! Please review and let me know what you think or ideas that you have.**

**godspeed83: Here is our newest character and he will be somewhat important.**

**Guest: I agree that Hiccup is known for being forgiving and I love that about him but, I also think it got him in a lot of trouble. Don't get me wrong movie and show Hiccup is one of my favorite characters ever, but in this story he was hurt. A lot. But don't worry some of Hiccup's traits that we all love will still be present and will become even more clear as this continues. He doesn't have a stone heart but, he is more tough on the world. **

**Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Dreamworks**

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Chapter 8

The wind whipped past them as they soared through the air. They had traveled many nights and Toothless grew tired. He was meant for speed not long periods of constant flight. They slept during the day on the many empty islands they found. Wild dragons roamed these parts, but they seemed to avoid the Night Fury. They finally landed on another island and Toothless collapsed. They rested for a short time, and then Hiccup left Spitfire with the supplies, as he and Toothless went to find fish. They lay that night as Hiccup observed what little of a map he had. They had passed what had been drawn but, Hiccup had been adding the islands they had rested on each day, and those he remembered as they flew.

That day as Toothless slept, he took Spitfire and explored the island. When they reached the most southern part of the island, he saw something different. He saw a large strip of land, miles out, and it seemed to be filled with buildings. They had found something! He sprinted back to Toothless who simply grunted in annoyance and rolled back over asleep. Hiccup sighed and began training for the rest of the day, he had too much energy to sleep.

_Night Wolf_was his favorite weapon due to its reach and the way it was made specifically for him. He snapped it open and swung it around, spinning it between his hands creating a spinning circle of sharp blade. Both ends of his blade were shaped differently one was curved and wickedly sharp, while the other was straight and serrated throughout the whole blade and ended in a sharp tip. The whole staff was about 5 and half foot tall and each blade was about two feet long, and had about half a foot of handle before it reached a junction where it was able to quickly snap in half and fold together to form a large blade, bigger than the sword at his side in width but, about the same in length. He had been working on fighting with both when it was folded. He was nowhere near perfect due to the differences in weights and blades.

As he spun his staff, he quickly clicked the button that snapped it in half, and it came together just as he whipped out his second sword. He swept his back leg out and landed in a small crotch. He trained for hours and was dripped with sweat when he finally collapsed.

He leaned against a tree and studied the rings that both Asger and Gothi had given him. He wore one on each of his ring fingers. Both had writing along the edges and both were a different language than he was familiar with. The one that Asger had given him was made of the blackest metal he had ever seen and had blood red inscriptions running along the edge. One image was depicted on the ring and it was a swirl of icy blue and red flames swirling together. It was a fairly simple ring and was as smooth as the wood he sanded for his blades. The ring he had received from Gothi was very different. It was a golden ring with smoother looking writing written in silver. All over the ring were the tiniest jewels that he had ever seen of all different colors. They glittered when he moved his hand and he could only stare at both rings in wonder. They were both well-crafted rings and both had to be worth more than anything anyone on Berk had ever owned, especially if they held the power that Gothi and Asger spoke of. He would have to be careful with these.

He lay against the tree and Spitfire came to him dropping one of his daggers in his lap startling him out of his thoughts. He tossed it away but, somehow Spitfire caught it midair by the flat of the blade and brought it back. This gave him an idea. They all needed to train before they encountered more people and this location would give the perfect advantage to learn about who they had encountered.

He picked up the dagger and said CATCH as he chunked it at a nearby tree. Spitfire darted forward and once more snatched the blade out of the air. This could come in handy. For the next few hours he increased his speed of his daggers and over the next few weeks they increased their ability to communicate. Hand signals were used to indicate what he wanted Spitfire to grab whether it be his sword he dropped dueling with Toothless or daggers he had Toothless spit towards him to challenge Spitfire. He no longer needed a signal unless it was Hiccup throwing the dagger. They had learned many new tricks together and Toothless and Spitfire seemed to be friends.

Not only had Spitfire been training with Hiccup, so had Toothless. They traveled together every night to the land beyond and discovered it to be a bustling society unlike any other he had seen. It was made almost entirely of stone, markets were open even late into the night, soldiers dressed unlike any others marched the streets in perfect formation. They wore helmets made with brightly colored fabrics sticking straight up, and uniforms all the same. The average people of the city seemed to be wearing only simple sheets and jewelry of gold seemed to indicate the wealth of a man. They all talked in a strange tongues and temples ranged throughout street corners with statues to gods he had never seen before, and woman lining the temple steps. Music was played and children roamed the streets. He dared not land yet, but continued to gather intel, yet he desperately needed a forge. He and Toothless flew very well together but, he was grounded if they were separated. He had a design that allowed him to fly solo, when a handle was pulled.

Toothless had been pushing Hiccup to his limit in his training. He constantly ran speed drills trying to make him faster than ever before. He practiced his ability to run, jump, and flip all with his weapons. Toothless shot his plasma blasts in an effort to test his vigilance causing him to be constantly on high alert. They ran flying drill and running drills together. They neither needed nor wanted hand signals they communicated solely through body language when they trained. A small jerk of a head or flap of an ear gave indications of plans, yet their eyes always told them everything they needed to know. Toothless and Hiccup dueled together using all they had at their disposals. Toothless used his fire and wasn't afraid to get close. When dueling Toothless corrected Hiccup on his form using his tail and the language they had somehow used to communicate. He taught him to fight like a dragon. Fast, fierce, and not afraid to play dirty if needed. When they dueled Toothless made it his mission to disarm Hiccup within minutes, constantly frustrating Hiccup. The first time that they had fought and ended in a draw was multiple months into their training.

Both man and beast circled each other waiting for the small flame from Spitfire to begin their fight. He puffed and fire escaped his mouth, and both lunged forward. While they trained the only thing off limits was deadly injuries so most of their fights left them both with small wounds.  
Hiccup ducked under a lunge from Toothless, rolling completely under his airborne body. He landed in a crouch, turning on his heal, and throwing one of the wooden daggers he had used for practice. It hit Toothless in the hind leg and he growled in annoyance as Hiccup smirked. He had gotten the first hit. Toothless shot two plasma blasts at Hiccup, one at his feet and another at his right causing him to quickly jump left. Toothless jumped at him but, Hiccup brought up _Night Wolf halting _until he swatted at the weapon causing it to be ripped from his hands.

Hiccup silently cursed and pulled his sword from his side. Toothless gave an arrogant warble and began slowly walking towards Hiccup. Hiccup lunged this time and somehow missed the bite that Toothless aimed at him and landed on Toothless's back. Toothless began bucking around as Hiccup grabbed onto a wing. Toothless did not wear his gear when they fought to prevent Hiccup from using it against him. Hiccup finally lost his grip but, not without nicking Toothless with his sword. He almost whooped in victory. He almost never won first blood and Toothless once more growled in annoyance. They both ran towards each other and as claw met sword sparks flew. They exchanged blows both, drawing small slivers of blood, and both reveled in it. Toothless finally caught Hiccup by the leg causing him to land on his back. His sword came up to his throat, just as Toothless opened his mouth to release a blast.

They both could kill each other from this position and Toothless closed his mouth, looking down at Hiccup in pride. As Toothless playful grabbed the front of Hiccup's shirt pulling him up, he purred in excitement. Hiccup had fought like a Night Fury. Fast, deadly, and calculating.

Five months passed in this fashion and in that time, he learned the name of the city he had found. Eboracum. Winter began to settle in the land, and it was time to finally try to enter in the city.

He flew further north and found a small forest in which Toothless could wait and hide. Both dragons now knew the whistles that Hiccup could use to signal them. Toothless's call was long and loud similar to his own call while, Spitfires was quick and sharp just as he was. As they landed Hiccup slipped on his black cloak with Spitfire attached on his back. He adjusted in such a way that it made Hiccup appear only broader. He would be used only in emergencies. The cloak hid his face in shadows and all the rest of his clothing was dark in this way as well. He left _Night Wolf,_as it was too bulky to hide but, his sword and daggers remained hidden on his body.

He slowly made his way inside of the town as it was too big to be considered a village. The books given by Gothi and the flights overhead could not do this place justice. It was filled with life and Hiccup was on edge. He stuck to the shadows and continued to watch and observe. He did not venture far that night but, as the days passed his curiosity could not be sated.

He traveled further and further into the town every night and finally came upon a sign in his language. It said Trader Vanser, trader to all. He entered into a deceivingly large shop filled with a large assortment of anything he could imagine. Food, cloth, jewels, and weapons lined the walls and tables spread throughout the floor. He heard a loud voice boom what he assumed was a greeting but, his hand automatically reached for his sword. The voice laughed and he turned his gaze away from the objects in the room to a large man standing behind a bench. He was clean shaven, with a bald head, and was thinner than most Vikings, but still broad shouldered. He wore a simple vest and pants with only a sword at his waist. He seemed to switch languages, and with his lack of response, he continued to switch until he finally spoke in Norse.

**"Seriously, still nothing?" **The man appeared exasperated but, still looked ready to laugh at any moment.

"I understand you now." And Hiccup said no more, waiting for more.

**"Ah Norse? Haven't had any of your folk in a long time. My name is Vanser, what brings you here little master?" **he said all this with small smile playing on his lips.

"I am in search of a forge, and of knowledge. Could you accommodate this?" he said this with his arms crossed waiting for an answer.

Vanser laughed once more, **"You have spirit little master, I do require a name? I can do this. Behind my shop is a small forge, and it is I who can teach you much. I see something in you, and if you agree to be my apprentice for however long I decide, I will teach you all I know. Do you agree to these terms?"**He extended a hand and waited his reply. As he did this his eyes roamed over Hiccup's form and his eyes lingered on the rings on his fingers. If Hiccup was not carefully watching, he would have missed the slight widening of his eyes and twitch of his hand. On his hand lay the same golden ring and luckily the hood of his cloak hid his face well enough to hide his surprise.

"I am called Shadow, and as for your deal do, I have time to consider, we have only just met." Hiccup's instincts said he could be trusted but, he still needed to speak with Toothless.

**"I will give you until this time tomorrow, for no other has been offered this deal." **Hiccup nodded his head and gathered a thing of dark fabric, a small black chain, and three rabbits. He purchased these with the gold he stole from his father and as he exited, he heard Vanser speak once more. He froze in the doorway and listened.

**"As a sign of building trust I wish to give you two pieces of advice. One Norse are not typically welcomed in this part. Too much bad blood. Your facial features are very clearly Norse. Until you have established yourself here, I would be careful of your face. Two, the rings on your fingers have both strong allies and enemies attached to them. Until you are ready to either join these forces or fight them, I would be careful who sees them."**Hiccup's eyes widened in surprise at the amount of information he was given but, quickly made his way out of the store and towards the forest

When he arrived, he mounted Toothless and they took to the skies. He explained all he had learned Toothless. When they finally touched down, he cooked a single rabbit for himself and gave half a rabbit Spitfire and the rest to Toothless. Spitfire seemed a little angry at being left behind after he had traveled the whole way through the city with Hiccup but, he quit when he received his Rabbit.

Hiccup pulled out the black chain, and the small hammer he had kept in his bag. Using his tools, he carved a small hole in the handle, and hung it on the small chain. He removed his rings as well and slipped them both on his new chain before slipping it over his head. The hammer would be a constant reminder to never forget those who hurt him, and the rings were hidden for now. He slipped it under his shirt and felt the cold metal rest on his chest. He knew he would need to be more careful from now on; he knew he could not be found out by his people. They would be after his blood. And they way Vanser spoke they would not be the only ones. His identity could not be discovered especially if Vanser had seen his type of people before.

He arrived the next day with a cloth tied around his face that covered the lower part of his face leaving only his eyes exposed and the hood was made to stay pulled up. The cloak was missing arms allowing him to work in the forge if allowed and move easier in combat. The rest of his clothing was as neutral as possible, and he left _Night Wolf_with Toothless in order to remain inconspicuous. He arrived at Vanser's shop at exactly the time he had arrived the night before. Vanser was waiting for him.

**"I knew you would return. I can feel it in my bones, you have potential. For good or bad, I am not sure but, either way I am willing to train you. Now I will formally introduce myself. I am _Legatus Augusti Pro Praetore Vanser of the province ofBritannia. _I served for 35 years in the Legion of Rome and will always serve Rome. You are now in the empire of Rome. I am taking you on as my second and as such you are now a member of Rome. We demand respect and you will learn to do so in time. You may now call me General or General Vanser. **

**You seem to hold many secrets my second. I will allow you to keep your secrets and I hope within time you will learn to trust me. Some of your training will be here, while others will be in places of my choice. You will be on time and you will do everything I ask. You are now a soldier of Rome, so ACT LIKE IT!" **And with that the relaxed position Hiccup had adopted snapped to attention. He remembered the soldiers who roamed the streets and tried to mimic their stance.

**"Sloppy and slow. We will work on that. Now you seem decently muscled but, we are going to see how tough you really are. Drop and give me all you have. " **Hiccup hit the floor and began to push when,**"I can't hear you! Count and start over." **He reached 100 and his arms screamed but, he continued. He reached 150 and finally collapsed on the floor.

Vanser smirked and knelt beside him**. "That is why I chose you. You reached your limit and pushed. I am not only going to train you in the physical. You asked for knowledge and I can provide that. I speak over 8 languages and I expect you to learn them as well. As a solider you constantly encounter different people and whether they are friend or foe is irrelevant. If you can understand them, you have the advantage. I was not made a General because I was strong. I was made a General because of my ability to plan a battle. I will teach you this. **

**You will also learn the art of Roman forging. **

**I have never had a second and had never planned to. Do not prove me wrong.**" and with that they began to study the language of Rome, Latin. Within a few short weeks he had mastered both speaking and writing the language and he was thriving. For the first two months of his training he worked only on his strength. In the morning he worked on his Latin, then Greek, then Germanic, Slovakian, Italian, Japanese, Tibetan, Dutch, and Hindi, plus bits of others. He translated texts of Norse to the many languages and back again. Vanser now only spoke in whichever language they were learning. Vanser had learned these languages through his extensive travels as both a merchant and leader of Rome. He said language is power, and if ever given the opportunity learn them.

During the day he trained with Vanser running new exercises that left him exhausted and worn. His evenings were spent in the forge either learning new techniques from Vanser or working on his own designs. His nights were spent training with Toothless and Spitfire. He kept his cloak on at all times and now left Spitfire with Toothless in fear of him being caught. Within the first two weeks of working within the forge he had designed Toothless's new tail that allowed him to fly independently. A bag was strapped to his side with Hiccup's saddle, for whenever Hiccup returned. They both preferred flying as a team. Hiccup was constantly tinkering with new ideas on improving his flight and it was by accident that he solved their problem of fire. Spitfire had accidentally burned through the fabric of Toothless's tail and Hiccup knew this could be a liability in battle.

They sat around a fire at night together and it was when Toothless accidently sneezed on an old scale that he solved his problem. The scale melted from the heat of his flame but, when it cooled it was as tough as before. He had Spitfire blow fire on the scale, and nothing happened. It seemed that plasma fire was hotter than normal fire. He could use this to cover his tail fin. It also allowed his prosthetic fin to no longer appear different limiting an enemy's ability to find their weakness. Using the scales and slobber provided by Toothless he was able to create a tail that could no longer be burned by fire.

It was after his first month of training with Vanser that he encountered his first problem. A young legionnaire by the name of Balfasar. He had apparently been trying for months to get in the good graces of Vanser and was unsuccessful. He was a second to a man named Walft who was a captain of the Roman legions and directly under Vanser in position. Walft has a deep hatred for Vanser because, he believed that he had stolen a position that belonged to him. But he hid it well. Only Vanser and Hiccup knew about it, and it was because they were both observant.

Yet, his second did not carry his anger and in fact seemed to worship Vanser. He desperately wanted to be in his good graces and had fought to be his second. When it was clear that Vanser was not interested in a second, Balfasar moved onto Walft.

When Hiccup suddenly showed up, things changed. Vanser easy willingness to take on Hiccup did not sit well with Balfasar. He doubled his efforts to try to get in with Vanser. This only led to curses and names such as brown noser and suck up to pass from Vanser's lip in Norse so only Hiccup understood, and who simply smirked under his mask. Because Balfasar did not understand, he thought he was being complimented, and he swaggered through town. He made it his mission to make Hiccup miserable. He constantly taunted him as he walked through the town, tried to take off his hood, and gathered a small group of other legionaries to follow him as he gathered things for Vanser.

Yet, what angered Balfasar was that Hiccup, or Shadow as he was known, did not seem to care. He did not respond to his taunts and actually only spoke in small whispers to the market stand owners in which ever language they preferred as he learned more or talked with Vanser in a different language if others were around. Balfasar tried only once tried to lay his hands on him and he had grabbed Hiccup's shoulder when he was passing. Hiccup simply grabbed his hand, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him into the ground in less than 10 seconds. Then he stood up and walked away as though nothing had happened. Balfasar's anger only grew towards Hiccup, and one day it would boil over.

Hiccup's sword slammed into the gladius held by Vanser, but Vanser's shield slammed into his throwing off balance. The armor he was wearing was heavy, hot, and restricted his movements. He wished he was still wearing his cloak but, over the past months his trust in Vanser had grown enough that when they trained in private, he showed his face. They never spoke of his past and Vanser seemed content to share bits and pieces from his. The helmet on his head was knocked sideways, interfering with his vision. The style that Vanser taught was all about calculation. It was not the quick constant attacks taught Asger, nor the quick fierce, and calculated attacks of the Night Fury, it was constant calculation and power. He used his shield and armor more than he had ever thought before. Vanser continued his assault and Hiccup was forced to continue to step backwards trying to find an opening. His shield was torn from his hands and he finally resorted to a different technique. He whipped off his helmet and threw it at his face causing blood to spray. He used his sword to grab the hilt of Vanser's sword and pulled as hard as he could. Both swords were tossed behind him and he cursed under his breathe. Vanser slammed into him with his shield and they both tumbled to the floor. Somehow Hiccup ended on top and tried wrestling the shield from his hands. The tug of war continued until suddenly Vanser slammed it up into Hiccups head. His head began to spin and suddenly he was on his back pinned with a sword at his throat. They had somehow come close enough for Vanser to once more grab it. He laid his head on the ground and sighed. Vanser got to his feet and grabbed Hiccup's forearm pulling him up. Hiccup felt blood dripping from a small cut on his head and realized the shield had scratched him. Vanser wiped the blood from his faces and Hiccup stood at complete attention waiting his assessment.

"**You are getting better but, that helmet throwing was not how Romans fight. It was a dirty trick. But I can respect it. I picked you knowing you were different. You look more and more like a Roman everyday but, you fight like a serpent or wolf. You do whatever it takes to win. This gives you the advantage. Romans are built on honor and because, of this will not resort to such techniques. While you have honor in other things, it appears that a fight to the death is not one of them. Many Romans and many people are not going to like you because you are different. You may look like a Roman at first glance but, it is obvious when you truly look that you are not. Use this. I may be a General for the Roman legion but, I say this as your trainer not your General. Use these different fighting techniques and let them underestimate you because, when they do, they have already lost. In regard to your Roman fighting style you need more power behind your attacks. You are used to quick attacks but, that it not always possible with an opponent who is your size. Constant calculation. Use their weaknesses against them. Now I want you to do a full workout, and then practice your Germanic. It will come in handy for the nations to the East. Dismissed." **

With that Vanser sheathed his sword as Hiccup's fist came up and crossed his chest in salute.

"Yes General." And Hiccup quickly grabbed his sword. As he sheathed it, he looked at the Greek inscription found on it. He had learned Greek as his third language and learned that it was Greek symbols and inscriptions on his sword. It depicted symbols of strength and power and had the name Τράβηγμα κύματος or Wave Crusher engraved on its blade. Vanser laughed when he first beheld it and refused to tell him anything more except that it had a history. He had found a store that sold books and parchment and he learned just how big the world really was. He had begun his own journals with all he had seen and things he learned. The reflection on the sword truly told how much Hiccup had changed in the short year he had remained in Rome training. His hair was now cut as short as possible on the sides of his head while the hair on top was longer. It was similar to the Roman soldiers that roamed the streets. His face had thinned and now seemed older and stubble dotted his chin though he tried to keep it shaved when possible. He had shot up in height now reaching 6 feet. He had put on even more muscle mass but, remained thin. He could no longer hide just how strong he was with basic clothing. His cloak hid it well but, not all. As he began walking away, he heard the loud horns of the village and he immediately turned towards Vanser who had been walking in the opposite direction.

His face immediately changed to something he hadn't seen before. It was serious, old, angry, and surprisingly sad but, determined.

**"Gather your armor quickly and meet me at the East fields. We go to war."**

* * *

**Little bit of a cliff hanger. I am so excited for the next few chapters. A lot is coming and probably not what anyone expected. **


End file.
